Study Like a Boss
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien is set in a fantasy world that has differences, as well as similarities, to our own world. The author has created the novel’s world, Middle Earth, not only by using imagination, but by also adding details from the modern world. Realistic elements in the book enable readers to … Read more
In the novel Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky, suffering is an important part of every characters role. However, the message that Dostoevsky wants to present with the main character, Raskolnikov, is not one of the Christian ideas of deliverance through suffering. Rather, it appears to me, as if the Dostoevsky never lets his main … Read more
As the play opens, Willy Loman, who has been a traveling salesman for 35 years, returns home after having just left for a sales trip to New England. He tells his wife Linda that he can no longer go on the road because he cannot keep his mind on driving. At the same time, his … Read more
In Shakespeare’s, Othello, the reader is presented the classic battle between the deceitful forces of evil and the innocence of good. It are these forces of evil that ultimately lead to the breakdown of Othello, a noble venetian moor, well-known by the people of Venice as a honourable soldier and a worthy leader. Othello’s breakdown … Read more
In the play, A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, one of the most important themes is the American Dream. Many of the characters in this play have hopes and aspirations; they all strive towards their goals throughout the play. However, many of the characters in the play have different dreams that clash with … Read more
I would choose A Rose For Emily by William Faulkner and Shiloh by Bobbie Ann Mason to be put in a time capsule to be unearthed 100 years from now. Because A Rose For Emily was written in 1930, and Shiloh was written in 1982, I think that considering the two stories side by side … Read more
In the play of Death of a Salesman Willy loman faces these questions. Willy Loman was a simple man who was a salesman. Since Willy thought that his life was so simple he thought that he could control everything to it. Willy Loman thought that he could control the aspect of his job, he thought … Read more
John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath serves as a milestone in the plethora of literature addressing the lives, adversities and perseverance of those affected by the American Great Depression of the 1920s and 1930s. However, the responses generated by the book vary greatly. Some have hailed it as one of the great American masterpieces, flaws … Read more
There are many qualities one must have to be a good leader. Without these qualities he wouldn’t be able to make it through many hardships. A good example of someone who shows these qualities well is Odysseus I the story “the Odyssey” by Homer. In the story Odysseus is witty, strong, and loyal. Odysseus shows … Read more
A culture defines what it’s people perceive about evil, the place it gives to women, and its relationship with other cultures. The Ibo and European people in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, have two distinct cultures that begin to blend when the white men come as missionaries and try to communicate and live together … Read more
In the play, Antigone and Creon battle a philosophical war dealing with the controversy of the Greek ideals. They both based their actions on their beliefs of what is right and wrong. The whole problem arises when their believes and ideas encountered each other, making it contradiction between morals. Antigone’s side of the conflict held … Read more
The Chrysanthemums, by John Steinbeck, is set in the beautiful valley of Salinas, California, during a time when California was the land of plenty. A place where dust storms and drought were unheard of, where water was plentiful and the air sprinkled with the sweet smell of fruit blossoms. A time when simple people farm … Read more
Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness uses character development and character analysis to really tell the story of European colonization. Within Conrad’s characters one can find both racist and colonialist views, and it is the opinion, and the interpretation of the reader which decides what Conrad is really trying to say in his work. Chinua … Read more
In a crisis, a person’s true colors emerge. The weak are separated from the strong and the leaders are separated from the followers. In John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family, forced from their home in Oklahoma, head to California in search of work and prosperity only to find poverty and despair. … Read more
The narrator (later identified as Huckleberry Finn) begins Chapter One by stating that the reader may know of him from another book, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by “Mr. Mark Twain,” but it “ain’t t no matter” if you have not. According to Huck, Twain mostly told the truth, with some “stretchers” thrown in, though … Read more
Violence seems to be a reoccurring encounter in Emily Bronts novel, Wuthering Heights. Emily Bronts reason for using so much violence is to express the emotion portrayed by the characters. Throughout the novel, Heathcliff is in search of revenge and through violence he had a way of getting it. Communication is a big reason for … Read more
William Shakespeare’s play, “The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet,” is the story of two “star crossed” lovers who both meet a tragic end. Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy; however, the poetic and vivid manner in which Shakespeare engages the viewer or reader make this a beautiful play. The story of Romeo and Juliet is … Read more
Most stories have occurrences of symbolism. Symbols are used everyday in many different ways. For instance, the Bald Eagle is used to symbolize the determination and nobility of our United States of America. In both the Masque of the Red Death and the Fall of the House of Usher, the symbolic nature of the House … Read more
Sin is the transgression of a moral code designated by either society or the transgressor. The Puritans of Boston in the novel, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, establish a rigid moral code by which to purge their society of deviants. As this society is inherently theocratic, the beliefs and restrictions established by religion are … Read more
In the novel, My Antonia, by Willa Cather, everyone seems to be trying to pursue the American Dream. While they all have different ideas of just exactly what the American Dream is, they all know precisely what they want. For some, the American Dream sounds so enticing that they have traveled across the world to … Read more
During the Vietnam war, soldiers were not exposed to the traditional coping mechanisms of our American society, as illustrated in Tim Obrien’s The Things They Carried. These men were forced to discover and invent new ways to deal with the pressures of war, using only their resources while in the Vietnamese jungle. It was not … Read more
Edgar Allan Poe, whose personal torment so powerfully informed his visionary prose and poetry, is a towering figure in the history of American literature. A Virginia gentleman and the son of itinerant actors, the heir to great fortune and a disinherited outcast, a university man who had failed to graduate, a soldier brought out of … Read more
“Great Gatsby” is a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald which takes place in the early 1900’s. This book consists of five main characters, Nick Carraway, Tom Buchanan, Daisy Buchanan, Jay Gatsby and Jordan Baker. When I completed this novel, I came to a conclusion that this is a well – written book. The two … Read more
Every year across this great country of ours, hundred upon thousands of plays are produced. Some at the professional level, some at the college level, but most of our theatrical entertainment comes from that of our local high school productions. From Shakespeare to Rogers and Hammerstien, thousand of parents and family watch as their children … Read more
On page 132 we read “Everything that was not suffered to the end and finally concluded, recurred, and the same sorrows were undergone. ” What does this mean in regards to Siddhartha and any other of the characters in Hesse’s story? Do you agree with this statement? Explain. This quote is taken from the context … Read more
The Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf is the most important work of Old English literature, and is well deserved of the distinction. The epic tells the story of a hero, a Scandinavian prince named Beowulf, who rids the Danes of the monster Grendel, a descendent of Cain, and of his exploits fighting Grendel’s mother and a Dragon. … Read more
‘The Yellow Wallpaper’;, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and ‘The Story of an Hour’;, by Kate Chopin, are alike in that both of the women in the stories were controlled by their husbands which caused them to feel an intense desire for freedom. Both stories were also written from a feminist point of view. However, the … Read more
In Joseph Conrad’s book Heart of Darkness the Europeans are cut off from civilization, overtaken by greed, exploitation, and material interests from his own kind. Conrad develops themes of personal power, individual responsibility, and social justice. His book has all the trappings of the conventional adventure tale – mystery, exotic setting, escape, suspense, unexpected attack. … Read more
Throughout many of Shakespeares plays, a tragic hero is identified; a heroic figure that possesses a character flaw that leads to his defeat. In The Tragedy of Julius Caesar, there has been controversies over who is actually the tragic hero. Many people agree that Marcus Brutus is the tragic hero. However, others argue and identify … Read more
One of our first thoughts, like readers, when we finish the novel is to establish two lists; one of good characters and other of bad characters. Since this paper is devoted to the character of Estella the question would be: is she a good character or a bad character? But, before beginning the analysis of … Read more
William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” tells a story of a young woman who is violated by her father’s strict mentality. After being the only man in her life Emily’s father dies and she finds it hard to let go. Like her father Emily possesses a stubborn outlook towards life, and she refused to change. … Read more
Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula is a mystifying horror story that occurred sometime in the late nineteenth century, where a young English lawyer takes an excursion to Count Dracula located in Transylvania, in hopes of finalizing a real estate transfer. The novel portrays a gross representation of Anti-Christian values and beliefs, through one of its characters. … Read more
It is common opinion that Beowulf was written by a Christian poet. This was probably true because at the time when it was written, most of the few people who knew how to read and write were in the clergy. There are various references within the poem to elements of the Christian religion. However, the … Read more
People who thinks of Thornton Wilder primarily in terms of his classic novella “Our Town,” The Bridge of San Luis Rey will seem like quite a switch. For one thing, he has switched countries; instead of middle America, he deals here with Peru. He has switched eras, moving from the twentieth century back to the … Read more
Russian Prime Minister Joseph Stalin once said, “A single death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic. ” The impersonalization of war and death that he shares is an realistic characterization of war; originally intending to improve the lives of people, yet inevitably leading to the destruction of human life. Author Kurt Vonnegut … Read more
In both Crime and Punishment and Othello there is a theme of necessary balance. Crime and Punishment’s theme that man must be balanced in order to function properly is very similar to Othello’s theme that, tragically, jealousy is destructive, even to the one that holds it. In Crime and Punishment, Raskolnikov’s extreme intellectualism caused him … Read more
A major theme in The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is that solitary confinement and exclusion from the public results in insanity. The use of imagery and setting helps illustrate this theme throughout the story. The unnamed protagonist in this story suffers from a nervous disorder which is enhanced by her feeling of being … Read more
The three witches in the tragedy Macbeth are introduced right at the beginning of the play. They recount to Macbeth three prophesies. That Macbeth will be Thane of Cawdor, Thane of Glamis and King. These prophesies introduce Macbeth to ideas of greatness. Macbeth will eventually follow through on killing king Duncan, a destruction of the … Read more
According to the Aristotelian characteristics of good tragedy, the tragic character should not fall due to either excessive virtue or excessive wickedness, but due to what Aristotle called hamartia. Hamartia may be interpreted as either a flaw in character or an error in judgement. Oedipus, the tragic character in Sophocles Oedipus the King, certainly makes … Read more
When choosing an author for my paper, I chose international suspense because I am very interested in foreign relations and the technology of modern day war. I have read stories by Edgar Allen Poe, with suspense and vivid imagery, which reminded me of Clancy’s work. I decided to choose Tom Clancy because of his talent … Read more
Beauty and the Beast is probably one of the most well known fairy tales that the Grimms reproduced. In its original form it was a long, drawn out story that was catered to adults. The Grimms changed the story to be more understood by children and made it short and to the point. Unlike many … Read more
As Gilgamesh accomplishes to put his name in stone as a hero, he doesn’t realize the price he will pay in the end. Through his loss and suffering he learns to use wisdom to win his battles. Gilgamesh and his brother Enkidu conquered the world, but when Enkidu dies Gilgamesh realizes that he is human. … Read more
There have been many romantic films made in the past as well as now in the present, from Wuthering Heights to Pretty Woman. But, one of the most romantic of all films is the story of Romeo and Juliet. It is safe to say that most people are familiar with this story. A couple so … Read more
When Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte, first appeared in 1847, it was thought to be obscene and crude (Chase 19). To the common person, it was shocking and offensive, and it did not gain popularity until long after it was first published. When the piece of literature became widely read and discussed, however, Bronte was … Read more
John Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath is in direct correlation with his view of the rich and the poor. Steinbeck vividly depicts the wealthy as being monsters and portrays the lower-class okies as being un-sung heroes. Steinbeck uses figurative language throughout the course of the novel in order to create these images. Steinbeck incorporates his … Read more
In Henrik Ibsens play A Dolls House, the personality of the protagonist Nora Helmer is developed and revealed through her interactions and conversations with the other characters in the play, including Mrs. Linde, Nils Krogstad, Dr. Rank and Ann-Marie. Ibsen also uses certain dramatic and literary techniques and styles, such as irony, juxtaposition and parallelism … Read more
“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” tells the story of a single character, a timid, middle-aged man. Prufrock is talking or thinking to himself. The epigraph, a dramatic speech taken from Dante’s “Inferno,” provides a key to Prufrock’s nature. Like Dante’s character Prufrock is in “hell,” in this case a hell of his own … Read more
Would you just stand by, as Nazis soldiers kidnapped your neighbors just because they were different? If you would, you have no voice and you need to develop one. Many people had neighbors who were taken away and killed by the Nazis. They just stood there, let it happen and did not utter a word. … Read more
Throughout history, the treatment of women has been an ever-changing issue. Othello by William Shakespeare is a story in which the women characters are treated in the unfair way that women of the time of the story were treated. This makes the story a great model for comparison of the treatment of women in the … Read more
A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway, is a typical love story. A Romeo and his Juliet placed against the odds. Frederick and Catherines love affair must survive the obstacles of World War I. The background of war-torn Italy adds to the tragedy of the love story. The war affects the emotions and values of … Read more